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She blinks. “What - are youflirtingwith me?”
“You hit me harder than most alphas. I’m a little turned on.”
“Oh my god,” she mutters. “Do you flirt with every woman who tries to break your face?”
“Only the talented ones.”
“Jesus.”
“Technically, that wasn’t him. But I get the confusion.”
I make a noise halfway between a whimper and a wheeze.
Kai's still grinning as he takes a step closer, ignoring both our panic and Lexi’s flared-nostril fury.
“So, this your friend, Omega? She hits hard. I like her.”
“Back off,” I growl, stepping in front of Lexi like I’m suddenly brave and not one shallow breath from melting into the floor.
The ache in my body is sharp and liquid at once. My scent iseverywhere, slick and sweet and screamingneed, and Kai inhales it deeply; head tipping back, eyes fluttering to a close before he exhales a low whistle, pleased and awful.
“Found her,” he calls out, voice echoing against the walls, not even pretending I have anywhere left to run. “Andfuck,she smells good.”
Behind him, footsteps multiply - Lucian stalking forward like the specter of capitalism, Ash exuding menace. Kai steps forward, and the others move in unison with him like a twisted pack.
Not pouncing, butcircling.
The tension triples.
And in the middle of it all, Lexi glares at Kai, a typically oblivious beta who can't pick up on the instinctual tension going on around her.
She shakes her sore hand out. “You owe me a drink.”
Kai looks away from me for a beat to throw her a wink. “Only if I can buy you breakfast after.”
She gags. “Try that line on someone who doesn’t carry pepper spray in their bra.”
“I love a woman with plans.”
“Try loving a woman with pepper spray.”
And somehow, absurdly, I laugh.
Just once. Breathless. On the verge of collapse.
Because everything’s unraveling, and I’m one second away from becoming public scandal number one, but my best friend just punched an alpha in the face, and that alpha is now flirting with her like he’s into it.
But then the heat surges.
The walls tilt, and I groan, leaning back against the door.
It still doesn’t open.
Lexi catches the look on my face and curses.
“Oh no. No, no, no. Don’t you dare go into full-blown Omega meltdown on me,” she hisses, grabbing my arm.
“I’m not - I’m trying -”
